# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1908_S53
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1908. 53

his severe illness last autumn fully recovered. Friends of the institution have given it a needed melodeon and a natural history cabinet. — Prof. J. T. Müller has accepted a call to the Gymnasium of the Southern District and has thereby left the service of the Negro Mission.

The Synodical Conference thus has two educational institutions: Immanuel College in Greensboro, N. C., with 4 professors and 78 pupils, and Luther College in New Orleans with 3 professors and 50 pupils.

C. General Matters.

1. Our Negro Mission has much to thank three men who have now served it for over 25 years with faithfulness, wisdom and skill. One is Director N. J. Bakke, who since November 1880 has stood in blessed labor in our Negro Mission, first as missionary in New Orleans, then as pioneer in North Carolina, and for the last five years as head and director of Immanuel College. The other is Teacher E. A. Vix at the Mount Zion School in New Orleans. He was installed as the first white teacher of our Negro Mission on the 7th of December 1881 in the old Sailors' Home in his office, has served the same station until now, and has been a reliable support to our mission. The third is Prof. A. C. Burgdorf of Walther College in St. Louis. In the year 1882 the Synodical Conference elected him its treasurer, and since then he has administered this office tirelessly, with much trouble and labor, and has always served the Commission readily with counsel and deed. He now herewith, because on account of his weakened health he can no longer serve, returns his office into the hands of the Synodical Conference.

2. Since a member of the Commission, Pastor W. C. Brink, departed through a blessed death, the Commission supplemented itself two years ago by the election of Pastor H. Meyer of St. Louis. It has also in the last two years assembled monthly, besides this held many extra meetings, and kept exact minutes of its proceedings.

3. Our Negro Mission at present has to contend especially with the following difficulties: a. We lack workers. In the last two years we have lost no fewer than 10 workers. Some of them belonged to our most capable and experienced missionaries. These are heavy losses. — b. It is exceedingly hard to fill our mission parishes. This has a twofold reason. First, few white pastors and teachers have inclination to enter the Negro Mission; second, we now stand in the Negro Mission in the period of transition: the Negro congregations often prefer colored to white pastors and teachers. And yet, if our Negro Mission is to remain in the right channel, we must always have capable white mission workers in it